Showdown
by Wicked Pen
Summary: This is a one-shot continuation of the Ann and Harris kiss scene in Season 3. In my interpretation, the Southfork fire featured in that episode does not happen but there are other sparks and flames igniting, figuratively speaking.


"Ann! Annie?" Harris shouts to the back of her car as it glides down his long driveway and out of his life, the red rear lights glowing in the night, warning him to stop.

He whimpers slightly as she drives further away from him. The little warbled sound surprises him so much he puts his hand over his mouth. His neck prickles and he spins around, suddenly aware he is not alone with his anguish.

Judith is illuminated in the upstairs window like a holy ghost. Her teased blonde hair frames her pale face like a massive halo, the smoothly curled ends hugging her shoulders. Harris can clearly see her bright red lips. They twist into a strange smile. She wags a finger motioning for him to come inside and turns around, not doubting he will.

Harris does take a step toward the house then wretches, disgusted with himself. He doubles over, his stomach rippling into cramps and his heart pounding so hard in his ears he can feel the blood rushing along the sides of his neck.

He turns back to the road, now pitch dark and Ann's car long gone from view.

"What do you want!" Harris shouts into the sticky, moist night air. "What do you want?"

He holds his sweating head in both hands, drops of perspiration and tears drip off his face and down his forearms. He runs his tongue along his lips, trying to taste Annie from moments ago.

"Mr. Ryland?" the security guard says from the porch. "Mr. Ryland are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine. I'm fine," Harris says hoarsely, still bent over.

"Well Miss Judith is asking for you. Would you come inside please?"

Harris looks hard at this man intruding on his very private moment.

"What?" Harris says, craning his neck forward.

"Uh, your mother, she….wants you to come inside….sir."

Harris throws his head back and laughs a loud cackle straight up at the sky. The bright moon is full tonight and he howls at it.

The long, loud howl startles the guard and he grips the porch railing. He keeps glancing over his shoulder at the front door, afraid Judith will open it any second.

"Mr. Ryland? Are you….sir, are you high or…?"

Harris snaps around to face him.

"Mothers tell sons to come inside when they're children," Harris says calmly, his eyes sparkling with clarity. "Do I look like a child to you?"

The guard stays silent.

"AM I A GODDAMN CHILD?"

"No. No, sir."

"Tell my mother I went out."

"Oh, uh, yes. Okay. But when…can I tell her when you'll be back…approximately?"

"I might not come back," Harris says without turning around.

He walks over to his car in long, springy strides, not once looking to the upstairs window where Judith has reappeared. He peels out of the drive, gravel scraping against his wide sports car tires. Judith grinds her teeth as she watches him speed away.

* * *

Ann pours herself a cup of hot tea in Southfork's kitchen. Distracted by the kiss replaying in her mind, her wrist passes over the spout as she sets the kettle back down and a tendril of steam scalds her skin.

"Ouch!" she says as Bobby walks in.

"What happened?" he says.

"What?"

"You said 'ouch'. Annie? What's the matter? You look like you've been caught red-handed," he laughs.

She laughs also, a bit louder than she meant to. Bobby regards his wife with a sideways look as she pours a long squeeze of honey into her tea mug. Her hands are shaking. He comes up behind her and kisses the nape of her neck. Her body tenses. Bobby sighs deeply.

"Look, honey, I know I was upset about Emma earlier but I've had some time to calm down. We'll figure this out as a family. We'll get through it together. I'm not mad anymore so don't be nervous, okay?" he says, running his hands up and down her arms.

Ann turns around slowly and as Bobby is poised for a kiss, pushes him on the chest away from her. His eyes spring open.

"What did you do that for?" he says.

"I did that because I don't want to be in the same room with you right now, let alone kiss your mouth, the same angry mouth that screamed in my face a few hours ago."

"Oh come on, Annie – "

"Shut up," she says firmly.

Bobby's mouth falls open, shocked.

"You came at me like a rabid dog over this video of John Ross and Emma," she says, "and you did it in front of Sue Ellen. You humiliated me in my own home, Bobby, and then you barked at our guest, too."

"Now wait a minute," Bobby says, a glint of anger flashing in his eyes.

"No. No more waiting," she says, "waiting for you to calm down, to come around, to see things from my perspective. No more. Bobby, I love you, I do, but you're changing lately. You've been treating me like a child and it's pushing me away."

"Annie! Stop it – "

"Stop it? See?" she says. "That's what you say to someone who's misbehaving. Why don't you ask me how I feel? Don't you want to know?"

Ann's voice cracks and she turns away from him, looking out the window. A car's headlights shine up the Southfork drive in the distance.

"Christopher's home," she says, not waiting for Bobby's answer.

"Annie," Bobby says, reaching for her hand, "of course I want to know how you feel. It's just, I don't know, ever since Emma's come into our lives there's been tension between us."

"Don't you blame that on Emma," Ann says, taking her hand away. "Why aren't you angry with John Ross? Why don't you go charging at your nephew over this video instead of coming at Sue Ellen and I? How do you know he didn't send the tape himself?"

"Send the video to his own wife? Don't be ridiculous! Why would he do that?"

"It's not even about the video!" Ann shouts. "The affair is the bigger issue, Bobby. Why don't you see that? John Ross is more to blame than Emma. He's married."

"John Ross has been a part of this family a lot longer than Emma," Bobby says, the words shocking Ann.

She sits down with the weight of that statement hanging in the air.

He continues, "Plus John Ross is….he's a –"

"He's a what?" she says, jumping back to her feet. "He's a man so it's okay? He's just like his father? He's a _Ewing_?"

Bobby's face tightens and he opens his mouth to answer but Ann beats him to it.

"Save it," she says, "I've had enough of your double standards lately, enough of your posturing."

"Posturing?" he shouts.

"That's right," she says, "reminding everyone you're king of the castle. We're partners, Bobby, equals. And until you start treating me like one again our relationship is in danger. Simple as that."

The doorbell rings. Ann looks puzzled.

"Christopher must've forgotten his keys," she says, walking to the door.

"Harris?" she says. "_Harris_?" she whispers, her eyes wide. "Is it Emma? What's happened?"

Bobby appears in the doorway, staring at the man whose daughter has caused all this turmoil in his home. Harris smiles wide at both of them.

"What's happened, Annie, is I really have realized losing you was the biggest mistake of my life and I'll show you so. I know I screwed up. You are the queen of my heart. It turned to stone when you left and I've been miserable ever since, that's the truth. I want you back. I want you and me and Emma to be a family again," he says looking straight into her green disbelieving eyes.

"What the hell are you saying?" Bobby yells. "What do you think you're doing right here on my own porch?"

"As far as I'm concerned, you aren't even here, Ewing. This conversation is between Ann and I," Harris says. "Annie, give me another chance, please, I've learned how to be a better man."

He leans in and kisses her gently on the mouth. She doesn't pull away. Bobby breaks them apart.

"Are you kidding me?" he yells.

Sue Ellen looks out of her bedroom window in time to see Bobby punch Harris in the face. He staggers backwards. A second punch sends him reeling off the porch steps and down to the ground on his knees.

"Bobby! Stop it!" Ann says.

Harris turns his swollen, red face toward the voice that warms his soul and smiles a bloody grin. Bobby socks him hard in the chest and blood sprays out of Harris' mouth onto Bobby's jeans. Bobby breathes heavily, fists clenched as Harris rolls over and back onto his knees. He wobbles to his feet but keeps his hands at his sides.

"Go on," he says, spitting a tooth out, "I'll take it. I'll take as much as you've got. She's worth every punch."

"Harris! Stop this," Ann cries. "Bobby? Please, please stop. Go home Harris, please."

"You kiss a man's wife at his own front door?" Bobby shouts. "Don't you have any honor at all? No shame?"

He punches Harris in the groin. He doubles over and staggers sideways until he runs into the pool gate. The iron rods stab his shoulder like banderillas in the bull. He falls to his knees again.

"I love you Annie!" Harris shouts and lets out a guttural moan that uncorks all the pain of his loneliness. "I love you! I'd rather die right here than keep that secret," he says and slumps over onto the cold earth. Steamy vapor plumes off his sweaty, beaten body.

Ann cries on the porch at the sight of this man broken on the ground for her. She can't wrap her mind around it. Harris who wins at all costs is shouting in agony about lost love, accepting a beating from her husband like he's had it coming. Who is this man? She wants to go to him.

Bobby winds up for another punch.

"Don't!" Ann begs. "Enough, Bobby, enough."

Bobby's fist hangs in the air, his bicep flexing and his face contorted in fury.

"Get off my land," he says, his fist still poised to punch. "Get off my land and leave my wife alone you shameful son of a bitch."

Bobby marches up the porch steps and turns Ann's shoulders toward the door. She pulls away from him and looks back to Harris who is writhing around in the dirt.

"Harris?" she says softly, still staying on the porch.

He slowly sits up, gasping for breath.

"I'm alright, Annie. I'm alright," he says reaching his arm toward her.

"Harris, I can't," she says through tears. "I'm sorry…I can't right now."

She turns to go inside.

"Wait!" Harris says, holding his bruised ribs.

She stops.

"Do you ever think of me, Annie? Do you ever?"

She pauses and slowly turns to face him.

"Yes," she says, moonlight shining on her tears.

She blows him a kiss and shuts the door behind her. Through the peep hole in the door she watches Harris slowly get to his feet and stumble to his car.

Sue Ellen softly comes down the stairs in the dark foyer. She hugs her friend around the shoulders.

"You know what you want to do, Ann," she says. "Don't be afraid to do it."


End file.
